THE ROYAL RUNAWAY
A short story by
Rory B Mackay
Prelude to the novel “Eladria”
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Rory B Mackay
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CONTENTS
1. "The Royal Runaway"
2. Afterword
3. Excerpt from "Eladria"
4. About the author
THE ROYAL RUNAWAY
Her mother had been gone for months. Eladria should have been prepared for the conversation that followed, but she wasn't.
She knew that something was wrong when her personal maid Zinn appeared in the schoolroom in the middle of art class. After conferring with the teacher for a moment, the kindly, grey-haired maid approached the young princess, who was in the midst of making a clay sculpture: a somewhat misshapen bird. The young girl looked up in confusion. “Zinn, what are you doing here?”
The maid looked down at her and smiled, although it wasn’t a smile that touched her eyes. Her voice was somewhat sad and remorseful as she answered. “Your father wishes to see you in his study.”
“Can’t it wait till I’m finished?”
“No, my dear, it can’t wait. It’s important. He’s waiting for you now.”
At the teacher’s prompting, Eladria tidied away her project and washed her hands as Zinn waited by the door. Although the other children continued to work on their sculptures, they were clearly curious as to what was going on.
Eladria reached the door and Zinn took her hand, her skin warm and smooth. As they left the schoolroom, the girl asked why her father wanted to see her so urgently. Zinn’s response was vague: something about a matter of utmost importance. Eladria enquired further, but Zinn was uncharacteristically sullen and evasive. The seven-year-old girl felt a growing sense of apprehension as they made their way down the palace’s white marble corridors and into the central elevator. With a rattle and hum, the metal-plated elevator took them up six levels, depositing them on level sixteen. From there it was only a few steps before they came to the king’s study. Zinn pressed the door buzzer, and they were promptly called inside.
The king was sitting behind his desk on the mezzanine level. As they entered, he got up from the sturdy oak table and climbed down the gleaming stone steps to the lower level. He came to a stop before the princess and her maid.
“What’s going on, father?” the girl asked.
The king’s face was somber and pale, his eyes red and swollen. He looked like he’d been crying—but surely grown men didn’t cry, much less her father, the king? Eladria felt herself tense as he gestured for them to take a seat by the window. Zinn led the girl to two adjacent sofas at the far end of the chamber, both bathed in sunlight streaming through the elegant semi-circular window. Eladria sat down, sinking into the red velvet cushions as Zinn joined her. Her father sat opposite, leaning toward them, the light glistening upon his navy robes and silver crown.
Eladria looked up at him questioningly. “Is this about mother?”
The king nodded slowly. “It is, Eladria…”
“She is coming back...isn’t she?” the girl asked pleadingly. There was a difficult silence. “You said she would. You said she’d be back.”
“I know, and I believed that, I truly did,” the king began, his voice hoarse and hesitant. “Your mother is officially listed as missing.”
“Missing?”
Her father nodded. “As you know, she went to the planet to visit Nukarean province two months ago. But the truth is she never arrived – her transport disappeared without explanation. The past several weeks the Royal Military has scoured the length and breadth of Tahnadra, searching everywhere they could. But…they haven’t found a trace of her...”
Eladria looked up at Zinn, then back at her father. She suddenly felt numb. She was only peripherally aware of Zinn taking hold of her hand, a gesture of comfort and reassurance, but her attention was elsewhere as her father’s words slowly sunk in. “She must be somewhere though,” she ventured.
“We can but pray, Eladria.”
“She has to come back,” the girl exclaimed. “And she will! She’d never leave me...”
“Eladria, I know how hard this is,” he said. “I wish I could make it easier. I’ve done everything I could to keep this from you these past weeks because I didn’t want to alarm you.”
Indeed, this whole time he’d maintained that her mother had been ‘detained’ and would be back with them soon. Even so, Eladria had sensed that something was terribly wrong. Almost overnight, her father became a changed man: distant, remote and solemn. She’d pined for her mother and yearned for her swift return. Every morning she’d wake up and pray with all her might that her mother would step through the door and run to embrace her, with the promise that she’d never again leave her. But day after day her fervent prayer was met with heart-crushing disappointment.
Her father continued. “At first we assumed she’d been captured by the Ha’shon or the True Way. Yet both have vigorously maintained their innocence. And if they had been responsible, they’d have been quick to take credit for it and issue their demands. The military has been painstakingly thorough in their investigation, combing virtually every town, city and province on the planet and interviewing thousands of people. But they haven’t uncovered anything.”
“We have to keep looking though,” she pleaded. “We can’t give up.”
“We’re not going to give up, Eladria,” the king assured her. “We’ll continue to do what we can and hope for the best. But as hard as this is, we have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that...she might not be coming back.”
His words cut through her like a knife. How could he say such a thing? How could he even contemplate that?
“The search operation has stretched our resources. The Ha’shon and True Way have taken advantage of this by launching strikes along the borders of the neutral territories. We’ve had to call off the main search operation, but I still have a large number of officers spearheading investigations across the planet. We’ve had to reduce our effort, but we’ve in no way ceased it.”
She stared at him blankly. He reached out to take her hand, but she folded her arms defiantly.
“Eladria, no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you,” the king whispered earnestly. “And Zinn here too. We’re not going anywhere.”
“But I want my mother,” Eladria exclaimed, her eyes welling with tears, blurring her vision. Gripped by an unbearable anguish, she bolted up and strode to the window, her limbs trembling as she came to a stop. Through tear-filled eyes she gazed down at the royal city: an expansive metropolis enclosed by a glistening biodome that sustained life on this, Tahnadra’s third moon. Beyond the glass enclosure, the ever-present stars punctuated the black void of the heavens, twinkling peacefully.
The king went to his daughter, reaching out and embracing her. Eladria gave in and sank into his arms, feeling the full force of her shock and grief spilling to the surface, the tears flowing down her face like a river. She still couldn’t believe it. Her mother couldn’t be gone. She just couldn’t.
The king had to prepare for an urgent appointment with the Ha’shon ambassador, so he instructed Zinn to look after the princess. Zinn led Eladria out of the study and back into the elevator. Without a word, they descended all the way to ground level. Stepping out of the elevator, they made their way through the halls and corridors, exiting into the gardens encircling the towering golden palace.
The princess and maid walked in silence for some time, strolling across the immaculately-trimmed lawns, past blossom-heavy trees, sculpted bushes and beds of rainbow flowers in full bloom. They stopped for a while by the blue-green lake at the center of the garden complex. Eladria gazed into the water, her attention resting upon the reflection staring back up at her: that of a small girl with long dark hair and a flowing blue dress, the sun reflected above her head like a halo.
Zinn repeatedly tried to reassure the girl and engage her in conversation, but it was to no avail. The rest of the day passed in a delirious blur, the princess only peripherally aware of what was going on around her. Her mind was locked in a restless torment as she tried to make sense of what had happened. By the time they returned to the royal quarters, it was late afternoon. Eladria sat in her playroom staring into space, despite Zinn’s best efforts to get her to play.
She later joined her father in the royal dining hall for evening meal. She had to force herself to eat and even then managed only a few bites. The king expressed concern at Eladria’s lack of appetite and encouraged her to eat, but she was simply unable; her belly was knotted and she felt nauseous. Although nothing was said directly about Eladria’s mother or the situation at hand, conversation was strained and tense.
That evening, after she’d reluctantly consented to do her homework, she and her father sat in the lounge of their royal chamber, her father poring over voluminous security and intelligence reports on the state of the Ha’shon and True Way conflict. The princess sat in front of the old-fashioned wood fire, watching as the dancing flames consumed the glowing logs, illuminating the room in a fiery orange glow. Her beloved pet grudik, Tanos, lay stretched out on the rug beside her, basking in the warmth of the fire. A small dog-like creature native to the Alchazat tundra, Tanos had shaggy grey hair with brown stripes, a hairless pink tail, large pointed ears and a tapered snout with long twitching whiskers. She distractedly rubbed the grudik’s belly as she sat staring into the fire.
Her father informed her it was time for bed. She duly complied and went to her chamber, washed her face, cleaned her teeth and changed into her nightdress. The king tore himself away from his reports and the warmth of the fire to tuck her into bed. As he said goodnight, Tanos jumped onto the bed and made himself comfortable by her side. As she reached down to stroke him, Eladria decided to broach the issue of her mother. “You’re not going to give up on her, are you father?” she asked pointedly.
The king’s face fell as he took a deep breath and sat upon the edge of her bed. He reached out and took hold of the princess’s hand, which he held with a gentle firmness. “We’re doing all we can, darling,” he answered softly.
Her face creased. “But you said you’ve called off the main investigation?”
The king nodded sadly. “The truth is, there are only so many times we can search the same places and interview the same people. Our resources are stretched. The military is needed along the borders of the neutral territories to prevent further Ha’shon and True Way incursions. But there are still officers whose sole duty is to find your mother, no matter the cost.”
That wasn’t good enough. She wanted every available officer searching for her mother: surely the more people that were searching for her, the greater the chances of finding her? “We have to do more,” she implored.
“We’re doing all we can, little one,” the king assured her.
It wasn’t, however, enough to assuage her doubts. She felt her face crease in a scowl as her eyes moistened with tears.
The king reached down and kissed her forehead. “I know this isn’t easy, Eladria, but we’ll get through this, together.”
“You mean we’ll find her, and bring her home?” she looked up expectantly.
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
But in spite of his resolute answer, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t quite believe it. He squeezed her hand and got up to leave. “Good night, darling. Try to get some sleep. We’re going to be all right…I promise you that.”
He left, closing the door gently behind him. Eladria lay staring up at the ceiling. A muted blue light shone through a crack in her curtains, illuminating her bedroom in a ghostly light. All she could hear was the sound of Tanos breathing beside her and the faint hum of the air filtration system.
He’s given up on her, she realized. But I won’t...ever...
Perhaps unsurprisingly, sleep eluded her.
As she lay, the minutes and hours slowly ticking by, it was with a growing sense of certainty that Eladria realized she couldn’t stay here. She had to get away. If she stayed, she feared that in time she too would simply come to accept her mother’s disappearance as her father had. She vowed she would never let that happen. If her father wasn’t willing to leave this stupid moon to go look for her, then she would.
It was a foolhardy notion, and she knew that. After all, she was just a little girl and easily recognizable as the daughter of the House of Chaldeen. But perhaps she could find a way of disguising herself? Then she could leave the palace and slip aboard a transport to the planet surface. From there she could try to get passage to Nukarean province. That was where her mother was headed, and that was the best place of starting her search.
She knew that the military had most likely been exhaustive in their efforts to find her, but she was driven by something they weren’t: the power of her love, and her willful determination. Perhaps she’d be able to search in places they hadn’t been able to. However she’d do it, she swore that she would find her mother.
She turned over in bed and began plotting her escape. First of all, she’d need to slip out of the palace unseen, and to do that she’d have to leave before morning. She’d get a couple of hours of sleep and then, while her father was still asleep, she would sneak out.
She reached over to the timepiece on her bedside table and set the alarm for two hours earlier than usual. That should give her enough time to stage her escape. She reached down, stroked Tanos and let out a sigh as she endeavored to relax into sleep. Now that she’d committed to finding her mother, her grief and shock had transformed into a fiery determination, ignited by the hope—and the sheer determination—that she would see her mother again.
In spite of whatever her father might think, this wasn’t over.
When the alarm sounded, Eladria felt as though she’d only just gotten off to sleep. In reflex reaction, she reached over and switched it off, the rhythmic beeping receding into silence. Through heavy, sleep-filled eyes, she looked over at the window. The curtains were drawn but she could tell it was still dark outside. Despite yearning to roll over and go back to sleep, she knew she had to get ready to leave. In another hour or so, her father would be up and would stop by her chamber to make sure she was awake. She had to be long gone by then.
With a wave of her hand she activated the spherical light by her bedside. She forced herself out of bed and crept over to the wardrobe. She spent some time raking through her clothes, keen to find something that would serve not just in terms of functionality and comfort, but would provide some measure of disguise. She selected a pair of navy trousers, a white blouse and blue cardigan, black boots and a long, padded grey overcoat with a hood. The latter was seldom worn and was there only in the rare event that she might accompany her parents down to one of the colder regions of the planet.
Tanos lay on the bed, following her every movement her as she quickly dressed. She again delved into the wardrobe and selected a change of clothes, which she stuffed into a canvas bag. She reached for her favorite doll and placed it in the bag along with the clothes. Catching sight of a fruit bowl on the table at the far end of her chamber, she stepped over and deposited its contents into the bag: three large torja fruits and a handful of berries. That would provide one meal at least.
She knew she’d have to find some money. Currency wasn’t used here in the palace, but would be necessary once she got to the planet. There was probably some stored away somewhere, but she had no idea where to look—besides, it was highly probable that she’d be caught by the palace officers and staff. No, she’d have to worry about money once she reached the planet.
She looked over at Tanos, who stared back at her with his wide brown eyes, ever alert and curious. She knew she couldn’t leave him behind, not least because the moment she left him alone in the room he’d probably start barking and wake up her father. She called him down off the bed, reached for his leash and clipped it onto his red collar. The grudik wagged his pink tail excitedly as she slung the canvas bag across her shoulders and made for the door. “You’ve got to be quiet now, Tanos, you hear me?” she whispered as she pulled the door open and crept through the corridor, toward the exit. She was especially nervous as she tiptoed past her parents' bedroom.
With barely a sound, she made it to the main door of the royal chamber and exited into the white marble corridor. Fortunately all was quiet, but the princess wasn’t going to adopt an attitude of complacency. While she’d formulated an excuse should anyone accost her—that she woke up early and was going for a walk in the gardens with Tanos—she knew that she’d look suspicious dressed in an overcoat with a carrying bag. Most of the palace staff would be unlikely to question her, but the senior officers and some of the security personnel certainly might. She approached the elevator and, looking around nervously, was relieved that aside for a lone technician wandering the far end of the corridor, there was nobody around. She entered the elevator and reached up, keying in level three. She deliberately wasn’t going all the way down to the first level, for there would be too many security officers on duty at the main entrance. But she knew a way she could hopefully sneak out undetected.
She watched as the display dial gradually moved down and the elevator came to a juddering halt at level three. The doors rolled open and she cautiously stepped out, pulling on the leash for Tanos to follow. The grudik trotted by her side as she entered a large foyer that branched off into several corridors like the hub of a wheel. This level housed the palace’s service division, including the kitchens and cleaning facilities. Even at this hour it was busy, with a dozen or so service personnel going about their duties. As they passed through the foyer and the corridors, most were too preoccupied to notice the young princess, although a few glanced at her in surprise. But as she’d hoped, they didn’t have the nerve to stop and question her, instead keeping to their own business.
The princess held her head high and assumed an air of confidence and authority as she strode along the marbled foyer and headed toward the kitchens. As she walked down the corridor, the smell of first-meal being prepared preceded her arrival at the kitchens. The tempting aroma of freshly baked bread and creamed julak eggs made the young princess suddenly feel quite hungry. But she couldn’t stop. The last thing she wanted was to run into tempestuous head cook Malaca, who’d probably stop her in her tracks and march her back up to her chamber.
As Eladria passed the kitchens, she peered through each door, and was relieved that all the kitchen staff, including Malaca herself, were too busy to notice the girl and her grudik as they slipped past and carried on down the corridor. With a measure of relief, she came to her intended destination, a small service elevator at the end of the corridor. She pressed the button and the door promptly opened. Stepping inside, the girl reached up to the console and selected ground level. At that moment someone stepped out of the kitchens—a young male kitchen assistant—and caught sight of her in the elevator. Their eyes briefly locked and Eladria felt a surge of alarm. But with an enormous sense of relief, the door shut and the elevator activated with a rattling hum. He wouldn’t tell anyone, surely?
Eladria paced anxiously as the service elevator descended. It was used by the kitchen staff and led down to the vegetable garden and fruit orchard, occupying the south quadrant of the palace gardens. Just a little to the left of the orchard, Eladria knew of a gap in the security field. By climbing over the wall she ought to be able to sneak out of the palace undetected—as she’d already done on more than one occasion.
The elevator came to a stop, depositing her on the edge of the garden complex. She exited and hurried down the stone path, which was lined on either side by rows of growing vegetables, overlooked by a series of triangular greenhouses. It was still dark; the garden path lit by a series of pale red lamps. As the moon had no atmosphere, the skyless heavens were forever cloaked in blackness and dotted with twinkling stars. Beyond the glass biodome, the planet was visible as an enormous marbled sphere of blue and green, glazed with swirling patches of cloud. The first hint of sunlight was visible beyond the curved contour of the planet, which meant dawn was approaching.
Eladria passed through the gate separating the vegetable plots from the orchard. She hurried across the lawns, the grass glistening with drops of water from the sprinklers. She made her way past the fruit trees and down a flight of steps into the main garden complex. She’d played in these gardens all her life and knew them inside out. Sure enough, as she passed through a thick grove of lacast trees and struggled through a particularly dense jola bush, she came to the granite wall enclosing the palace grounds. A series of pylons encircled the exterior rim of the great wall, creating an invisible security field preventing anyone from entering—or indeed leaving—the palace. But Eladria had learned that unbeknownst to palace security, there was a slight gap in the field at this location.
She tugged on the leash as Tanos stopped to smell the roots of a tree. She stepped toward the wall and was relieved to see that her escape apparatus was still there, carefully concealed amid the undergrowth. Several months ago she’d surreptitiously taken some old wooden crates from the refuse unit and stacked them one upon the other, using them as steps to scale the wall, enabling her to jump over to the other side. She’d marked the exact spot of the gap in the security field with a piece of chalk on the wall. It was a friend from school that had tipped her off about the gap, ironically the son of one of the city’s senior security officials. She didn’t know how he knew about it, but she quickly learned to ensure that she stacked the crates in exactly the right place. If she missed the gap and came into contact with the security field, she was rewarded with a painful jolt of electricity.
Satisfied that the crates were stable, she reached down and scooped up Tanos, holding him with one hand and using the other to steady herself as she climbed up the boxes. She came to the top of the wall and looked down. The boxes she’d placed on the other side were still there. She descended them like steps, relieved that she’d managed to slip through the barrier without hurting herself.
When she reached the ground, she put Tanos down and looked around. She was back in the grounds of an old disused security station. Her footsteps echoing as they struck the concrete, she strode past the rectangular grey building, which seemed somewhat eerie in the darkened quietude of the early morning.
She crawled beneath the front gate and into the adjacent street. It was a residential area with detached three-leveled buildings of sleek, polished granite, surrounded by curving marble walls, with trees and small gardens illuminated by the turquoise street lamps. The muted glow of the first rays of morning light struck the slanted rooftops as the sun continued its gradual emergence from the far side of the planet.
As Tanos stopped to relieve himself against a concrete wall, the princess mentally oriented herself. From here she’d have to make her way to the center of the royal city and get to the transport station. The city was still asleep, but that would soon change. By midday, everything would be in full swing and amid the noise and bustle she would hopefully be able to move about unnoticed.
She began walking down the empty street in the direction of the central plaza. The city skyline loomed in the distance: buildings of all shapes and sizes, from the monolithic commerce towers to the glistening pyramid-shaped military installation and the half-domed ordinance capital, illumined by spotlights and lit from within by dots of light piercing the darkness like a million little stars.
As she marched onwards, she was fired with determination and a curious mixture of anxiety and resolve. It wouldn’t be long before her father woke up and realized she was gone. He’d stop at nothing to find her, but she had to do this. Her mother was out there somewhere and she had to find her.
Had she been just a little older, Eladria would probably have realized the futility and recklessness of her quest and stayed put in the palace. But she was just a young girl yearning to be with her mother again; an overwhelming desire tinged by a bitter sting of grief that obscured her rationale.
Perhaps inevitably, it wouldn’t be long before she was brought back to reality with a shuddering jolt.
When the king went to check in on his daughter that morning he was greeted by the sight of an empty bed. Overcome by a surge of dread, he searched the rest of the royal chamber, but there was no sign of her. The moment he alerted Central Control, chaos erupted. Security was notified and the palace was placed on lockdown. Announcements were broadcast across the communication system and teams of security officers began searching every level of the palace. There was no immediate sign of the princess, although a couple of service personnel including a kitchen assistant reported seeing her on level three.
The king was beside himself. Realizing that he could best help the search by coordinating things from the command room, he made for the elevator and was joined by Zinn, whose face was etched with worry.
“I should have known she’d do something like this,” the king stroked his greying beard nervously he waited for the elevator. “It’s just like her, Zinn. Stubborn, willful, impulsive.”
“Do you have any idea where she might have gone?” the maid asked.
“No. She’s clearly devastated by the loss of her mother. I should have seen this coming. I shouldn’t have told her until we were absolutely certain...”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to Central Control to oversee the search operation. We’ll strip the palace apart if need be.”
“And if she isn’t here? It wouldn’t be the first time she’s slipped out of the palace...”
The king’s face was set in an expression of fierce resolve. “Then we’ll search the surrounding area and comb the entire city if need be: every street, every building, every possible place she might be. I’ve already lost my wife, I can’t lose my daughter as well.”
Zinn nodded thoughtfully. “If I might take some time to conduct my own search, your Highness?” she asked.
With a clank and a beep, the elevator doors rolled opened and the king stepped through them. As he turned and input the command on the console, he looked over at Zinn and nodded. “Do whatever you can, my friend,” he said. “Whatever you can...”
It took Eladria several hours to get from the outskirts of the palace to the center of the city. She made it to the central plaza and then into the east quadrant of the city, but once there, she quickly got lost.
As she wandered down a congested boulevard, keeping a tight hold of Tanos’s leash as he followed alongside, she looked around anxiously trying to figure out where she was and where she needed to be. This was a commercial district, bustling with people. Market stalls lined the boulevard: vendors selling everything conceivable, from food—vegetables, fruit, meat, baked goods and drinks—to clothing and jewelry, perfumes, home furnishings, ornaments and electronic gadgets. Eladria was enticed by the aromas of the marketplace and wished she had the currency to buy some food. She’d already eaten two of the torja fruits she’d taken from the palace, giving half of one to Tanos, who eagerly accepted it. Her rations wouldn’t last long however. She’d have to find a means of acquiring food at some point.
The girl avoided making eye contact with anyone as she carried on down the street, her hood up and her eyes fixed ahead. Above the houses, shops, taverns and halls, which were uniformly three or four stories tall, loomed the city’s monumental landmarks: a mixture of towers, pyramids and domes of varying size and structure. Intercity air transports streaked across the skyline like mechanical birds, while beyond the biodome, in the blackness of the star-filled heavens, the blazing sun shone cast its light upon the surface of the moon and its inhabitants.
While the west quadrant of the city was home to the royals, nobles, civil servants and government officials, the east side housed a more general section of the population. It was originally conceived as a social experiment: a melting pot of Tahnadra’s peoples, intended to create common ground between different races and cultures. In reality however, rather than integrating, most of them had splintered, resulting in a ramshackle assortment of communities, each intent on preserving its own cultural traditions. Though there was generally peace and tolerance between the communities, the east quadrant had a rougher element than the west, making Eladria nervous and on edge. While it would have been easier going to the transport station in the west quadrant, security was tighter there and she’d probably have been recognized. Her hope was to get to the east quadrant transport station and slip through the barriers. But she would have to find it first.
Deciding to cross the street, she waited as one of the rail shuttles passed by after stopping to deposit passengers. She walked across the road and over the metal tracks, a wave of pedestrians coming at her from either direction. As she reached the other side of the street and scanned her surroundings, her eyes were drawn to a bakery stall packed with an assortment of freshly baked goods. The aroma of seeded bread was almost more than she could bear. To her great delight she saw that the baker, an older olive-skinned man with a rounded face and cloudlike tufts of white hair, was giving away some free bread roll samples. Eladria’s eyes met his and he nodded as she reached out to the metal tray. She lifted three of the still-warm bread rolls and his face tightened. “Only one per customer,” he grunted.
Eladria looked at him pleadingly. “I’m sorry, I’d buy some, but I don’t have currency. I’m hungry...”
The man’s eyes softened and after a deliberating pause, he nodded reluctantly.
“Thank you.” Eladria smiled in gratitude as she placed them in her pocket. He looked like he was about to say something—perhaps to enquire as to the whereabouts of her parents—so she quickly shot off, putting her head down and plunging into the crowd.
Fortunately it wasn’t long before came to a street sign with directions, including the transport station. According to the sign, it was 10 metrins down the street to the left. With a sense of renewed hope she marched onward, satisfied that her plan was finally starting to come together.
As she turned the corner, something caught her attention in the sky—something moving. It wasn’t one of the air transports; it was smaller and closer.
It was a bird!
Almost the instant she caught sight of it, it vanished behind one of the rooftops. She was perplexed: there were no birds on the moon, so where had it come from? Was it possible it had inadvertently come on one of the transports?
She'd completely dismissed it by the time she arrived at the central station. Although smaller than the one in the west quadrant, it was much busier. Atop a flight of stone steps, the grand entrance, held aloft by stone pillars, was packed with people coming and going, the noise of the crowd merging into the hum of passing rail shuttles and overhead transports. She was about to climb the steps and make for the entrance when she caught sight of two military officers standing either side of the revolving glass door. They stood like two sentinels in matching grey and black uniforms, with electro-pulse pistols in holsters around their waists. The two men were scanning the oncoming crowd, evidently in search of something—or someone. The princess stopped in her tracks as she hesitantly looked up at them. One of the men caught sight of her and called over to his comrade.
It was her, she realized. It was her they were after!
She stood motionless for a moment as the men bounded forward, pushing through the crowd and starting down the steps. Instinct kicked in and the girl began running the way she’d come. She didn’t want them to catch her. She had to find her mother and she wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way.
She raced down the street, weaving through the sea of pedestrians. “Come on, Tanos,” she called, as the grudik lagged behind her. Realizing that because of his size he was unable to match her pace, she stopped, reached down and scooped him up in her arms before continuing to run.
Her mind was racing even faster than her legs. Where could she go? Back the way she’d come? No, for even with the crowds to conceal her, the boulevard was still in the open. She had to find somewhere away from the main thoroughfare; somewhere she could hide until she was sure they were gone. Only now that they’d seen her at the station, they’d probably keep officers posted there on the assumption she’d be back. But she’d worry about that later. For now, she simply had to get out of sight.
As she made her way past a wizened old man with a walking cane, she spotted a narrow lane branching off to the right. She took a right turn and ran down the lane, almost tripping as she came to a pile of bricks obstructing her path. A number of the buildings in this district were derelict and falling apart. With a furtive glance behind her, she clambered over the bricks and came to a small outhouse jutting out the side of the building to the right, which was evidently a disused hall or meeting place. Deciding that this would be as good as a place as any to hide, she climbed around the side of the outhouse until she was out of sight from the main street. Depositing Tanos on the ground, she came to a stop against the crumbling wall, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.
Something again drew her attention to the sky. It was that bird again, circling overhead then disappearing from sight.
Exhausted, desperate and aching all over, the girl slumped to the ground and stared ahead, her eyes settling on the brick wall in front of her, evidently the side of a multi-leveled tenement. She felt herself on the verge of tears, which despite her attempts to hold back, caused her vision to blur as she took a deep breath to steady herself. Sensing that something was wrong, Tanos drew close, nudging her leg with his nose, his tail lowered and his large brown eyes displaying uncertainty and concern.
The girl reached down and stroked his head in an absent-minded manner. She felt a teardrop rolling down her cheek and dripping down her chin as she continued staring ahead vacantly. Her determination had deserted her, replaced by an overwhelming sense of despair. It all seemed so hopeless now. The military were here, they’d seen her, and they would stop at nothing until they'd apprehended her and taken her back to the palace.
What would she say to her father? And what would he have to say to her? He wouldn’t understand. He’d be furious with her for causing such uproar. The tears continued streaming down her face and she found her body lurching as she tried to stifle her sobs. Her mother was out there somewhere and she had to find her. She still couldn’t believe that her father was on the verge of giving up. Eladria couldn't give up on her, and she wouldn’t. “I wish you were here, momma,” she whispered softly.
It was probably complacent of the princess to assume that no one would find her here. She was nevertheless horrified when someone appeared around the side of the outhouse. The girl leapt to her feet, her entire body tensing as she looked up in alarm.
To her relief it wasn’t one of the military officers. It was a woman, perhaps in her late twenties, with long, dark hair, sleek and wavy as it cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a plain but pretty green dress with black shoes and a silver necklace, her face warm and gentle. If the woman was surprised at seeing a young girl and a pet grudik hiding behind the outbuilding, she didn’t show it. “Hello,” she said with a smile as she came to a stop, her translucent blue eyes sparkling as she looked down at the girl.
Eladria looked up suspiciously and nodded.
“What are you doing here?” the stranger asked.
“Nothing,” Eladria responded, a little more defensively than she’d intended.
“Shouldn’t you be in school?”
“No, I have the day off,” the princess lied, eager to terminate the conversation as quickly as she could.
“Why’s that? I didn’t know today was a holiday.”
Eladria decided it was time to leave. “It’s not. I just have the day off, that’s all,” she responded, pulling the leash and preparing to step past the woman and return to the street. She’d risk running into the military officers of course, but she’d find somewhere else to hide, somewhere she wouldn’t be disturbed.
“You know, I ran away quite a few times when I was your age,” the woman remarked.
Eladria stopped and looked up at her, unsure how to respond. She saw no trace of hostility or threat in the woman’s face. She didn’t seem angry or annoyed, and she didn’t appear to be the type of person who’d immediately run off to inform the authorities. Instead she appeared genuinely sympathetic and caring. Why was Eladria so surprised and taken aback by that?
“Why did you run away?” the woman asked.
Eladria shook her head and looked down to ground.
“Things must have been very tough in order for you to do that,” the woman said, her voice soft and gentle. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right,” Eladria answered.
“It's not all right, though. Were you having problems at home?”
“You could say that...”
“Why don’t you tell me about it? It might help.”
Eladria shook her head. “Believe me, it won’t.” She didn’t want to have this conversation. She didn’t want to open up to anyone, she just wanted to be on her way and find somewhere safe and secluded until she could figure out her next move.
“Where do you live?” the woman enquired.
“It doesn’t matter,” the girl responded.
“Okay,” the stranger nodded. “My name’s Jelandra. What’s yours?”
“I really have to be going,” Eladria said.
She was about slip past the stranger and leave when something she said stopped her in her tracks. “I was just a little older than you the last time I ran away. It was just after my parents died.”
Eladria turned round and looked up at her. There was a sadness in her eyes as the woman continued. “I just wanted to escape, I suppose. Escape the pain I was feeling, the hurt and the grief…and even the memories.”
There was a silence before Eladria hesitantly asked: “And did you?”
Jelandra shook her head slowly. “No. You can try. You can run as far and as fast as you can, but ultimately you can’t escape yourself, or the pain that you’re feeling. As hard as it is, you eventually have no choice but to face it and deal with it.”
“My mother’s gone,” Eladria blurted. “They’ve searched for her, but they’re on the verge of giving up. My father seems to think she isn’t coming back.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Because she’s still alive, I know she is. And if my father won’t continue searching for her, then I will.”
“You really believe you can do that on your own?”
“I don’t know,” Eladria admitted. “I can try...”
“Can you? Can you really?” Jelandra took a step forward and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Eladria felt an instant yearning for the warmth of her mother’s touch, for her comforting embrace and her soft, soothing voice.
“How old are you?” Jelandra asked.
“Seven,” Eladria answered, her eyes fixed on the ground.
“You’re so young,” Jelandra said. “You can’t do this on your own. You shouldn’t even be out in these streets alone. It’s only a matter of time before someone reports you to the authorities. And then there’s your father. He must be looking for you. He must be extremely worried about you...”
“But if I’m gone, maybe it’ll force him to keep searching. Keep searching for me…and for her. I can’t believe he was thinking about giving up.”
“Maybe you misunderstood him?” Jelandra suggested. “If I was in his position and I’d lost my life’s love, I’d never stop searching, and I doubt your father would either. It’s possible he’s simply preparing himself for the worst, while hoping for the best.”
“I don’t know,” Eladria admitted, wiping a teardrop off her cheek.
“Maybe not, but you must know that he needs you and you need him,” the stranger continued, her soft and melodious voice soothing Eladria’s aching heart. “Life hurts. Our parents spend the best part of our childhood trying to conceal that fact from us. They try to protect us from the pain, comforting us when we fall and graze our knees and keeping us safe from danger and harm. But there comes a time when something happens beyond their control, something so painful that there's nothing they can do to hide us from the pain. That's what's happened to you now…and even so, your father is still there for you, and you can get through this together.”
Eladria considered this and shook her head. “But I can’t go back. I’m not ready...”
“Then how long do you intend to wander these streets? And what will it achieve?” There was a pause before she continued. “I understand the impulse to run away, to get as far from your problems as you can. But as I learned when I was your age, it doesn’t work. You have to be strong and face them head on.”
“I can’t.” Eladria shook her head.
“You can, because you’re not alone,” Jelandra assured her, embracing her warmly. Overcome by emotion, Eladria melted into her arms; in the back of her mind marveling at just how comfortable she felt with this woman, a complete stranger. It was though she’d somehow known her for years.
“You need to go back home,” Jelandra continued, her words neither stern nor authoritarian, but compassionate and knowing. “You need to be with your father. You’re lucky you still have someone who loves and cares for you. When my family died, I had no one and nothing. But you do, and you always will...”
Eladria knew that she was right. She drew back and dried her eyes with the side of her hand. Running and hiding was pointless, because it was only a matter of time before her father’s men found her. And with security likely tightened at the transport stations, it would be virtually impossible for her to slip through undetected. Her grand and ambitious plan of escaping to the planet had been flawed from the start, born of desperation with little regard for practicality.
Jelandra smiled down at her. “Are you ready to go back?” she asked.
Eladria nodded.
“Do you want me to escort you to the palace?”
“The palace?” Eladria looked up, startled. “How--how did you know?”
“I recognized you the moment I laid eyes on you, your Highness,” Jelandra admitted with a respectful bow of her head.
“Why didn’t you say?”
“Because if you knew I recognized you, you’d probably have run off straight away.”
That was true. The girl shifted awkwardly and decided that she would appreciate Jelandra’s company as she returned to the palace. Jelandra reached down to take the girl’s hand and together they made their way down the lane, across the bricks, and back onto the main street.
“Where do you live?” Eladria asked, looking up at her new friend in curiosity.
“Oh, I live in the city. I have for a number of years now,” Jelandra answered.
“What happened to your family?”
“It’s a long story,” came the answer. “And not something I find easy to talk about. It was a long time ago and I’ve had to move on with my life. In time, I came to find new friends and a new family.”
Little more was said about it. Eladria explained that the military was searching for her and that she’d rather return to the palace of her own accord than under military escort. Jelandra understood and together they made their way through the east quadrant, always on the lookout for the military officers, of which there were many. They frequently had to dive out of sight, stopping behind buildings until the search parties were past. Eladria felt a strange bond with her new friend, and when it eventually came time to part, she found herself reluctant to say goodbye.
They’d made it to the central plaza and now stood behind a grove of trees, looking up at the palace complex. Armed officers patrolled the border of the palace—at least twice as many as usual—pacing up and down the front gates, electro-pulse rifles slung over their shoulders. The moment Eladria left the plaza parkland she’d be spotted and taken back into the palace.
The princess looked up at her friend. “I suppose I’d better go now,” she sighed.
Jelandra nodded and smiled.
“Will I see you again?”
“I’m certain you will…”
“Thank you. For everything.”
“You’re very welcome.” Jelandra reached out and embraced her. “I know what it’s like to be lost, alone and in pain. That’s why I know it gets easier, Princess. Whether they find your mother or not—and I pray that they will—you will get through this.”
Eladria nodded as she withdrew and looked down at Tanos, who was sniffing the ground around the trees. “Let’s go, Tanos. The sooner we get this over with, the better.”
With one last farewell, the princess took her leave. She marched past the dense, blossom-covered trees and climbed over the fence separating the plaza parkland from the courtyard at the periphery of the palace. She was immediately spotted by the palace guards. As two of the guards started toward her, she turned and looked behind her to see if Jelandra was still watching. There was no sign of her. She must have quickly slipped away. But Eladria caught sight of that lone bird again, circling above the plaza. For a brief moment the girl wondered if it had followed her all the way from the east quadrant, although she knew that was unlikely. The bird nevertheless let out a celebratory-sounding squawk as it flew off into the distance. It was almost as though it was happy that she’d made it back home.
As the palace guards approached, the man at the forefront called her by name, his manner forthright but gentle. With a polite nod, he told her that he would escort her into the palace and said how relieved her father would be to see her again. Eladria nodded and followed as he led her through the gates and into the grounds of the palace. His colleague used a handheld communication device to inform Central Command that the princess had been found.
Eladria was taken to the main entrance of the palace, through the grand glass doors and into the central foyer, a vast, multi-tiered hall of glistening white marble, lined with statues and adorned with silk tapestries. Her father descended a staircase at the far end of the hall and came running toward her, tears of joy streaking down his face. As soon as he got to her, he reached out and drew her to his chest, holding her tightly, whispering her name over and over.
In that moment she knew that she’d been wrong for running away. They needed to face this together. They couldn’t do it alone. But Eladria was still resolute: no matter what her father decided, she would never give up on her mother.
Though the days ahead would be hard, the princess knew in her heart that her mother was still alive and was out there somewhere. And it didn’t matter how many years would pass, she vowed that she would never rest until she’d found her and reunited her family again. No matter what it took, she would find her....
* * * *
AFTERWORD
Eladria's story has only just begun. This short story sets up a number of threads and elements that are expanded upon and resolved in the fantasy/science-fiction novel Eladria (an excerpt of which you'll find on the following pages).
Eladria is set ten years after the events of The Royal Runaway. A fearful prophecy is fulfilled when the Ha’shon attack and overthrow the royal moon. The princess finds herself a fugitive in her own land as a brutal war is waged for rulership of Tahnadra. While being pursued by the relentless Ha'shon, Eladria learns she must travel to the forbidden land of Drantak, where a dark and ravenous force seeks to smash through the dimensional barriers and unleash its fury on the mortal realm. Only by accepting this dangerous mission can Eladria hope to save her world as well as uncover the mystery of her mother's disappearance all those years ago.
An action-packed adventure packed with twists and turns, Eladria was published in 2013 by Cosmic Egg Books. Although a self-contained novel, it serves as prelude to the Alanar Ascendant series, which begins with The Key of Alanar, due to be published in Spring 2015.
Please visit http://www.dreamlight-fugitive.co.uk for more details. You will also find updates on the Alanar Ascendant Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/AlanarAscendant.
I hope you enjoyed this short story! If you did, please feel free to share it with others. Don't miss another free short story prequel titled Artan's Night, also available to download for free on most ebook platforms. Thanks for reading.
EXCERPT FROM 'ELADRIA'
Eladria took a sharp inhale of breath and wiped away her tears. There was nothing she could do for her father now, but there was a chance that her mother was still alive and she vowed that she would do everything in her power to find her. If that meant travelling all the way to Drantak and fighting an as-yet unknown enemy, then she would gladly do so.
Before the torch burned out, Eladria made her way back to the camp, where everyone had already settled down for the night. Janak and Van’garat lay some distance from each other around the campfire, while Zinn was waiting for Eladria’s return. Satisfied that she had safely found her way back, Zinn settled down to keep watch over her comrades.
Eladria lay down upon a bed of leaves and endeavored to make herself as comfortable as she could. But she found it difficult to sleep, for the ground was cold, hard and uncomfortable. As she tossed and turned for what felt like hours, she was unable to slow down her frenzied mind. She found herself endlessly pondering her predicament, anticipating what might lie ahead and whether it was possible she would be reunited with her mother. The thought that she might not have lost her family altogether helped allay the terror of whatever dark forces were waiting for her in the so-called forbidden land.
She turned on her side and let out a weary sigh, frustrated by her inability to sleep. Judging by the snoring that came from his vicinity, Janak was fast asleep and had been for some time. She was unsure about Van’garat, who hadn’t made a sound the entire night.
Her restlessness was exacerbated by an ominous feeling that something was about to happen. The air was heavy and tingled with a faint electrical charge. She’d experienced this before prior to the breaches, which made her suspect it was a precursor to another impending storm.
She was right. It wasn’t long before she became aware of a bright flash of light from above. Looking up, she saw the sky tearing open as a bluish-white ribbon of light devoured the black void, crackling like electricity, sending fingers of lightning spiraling in every direction. A peal of thunder echoed around them, as the electrical storm illuminated the jungle in a pale bluish light.
Janak and Van’garat staggered to their feet, staring up in bleary-eyed bewilderment. Zinn scurried down from her perch and resumed human form, drawing close to Eladria’s side.
It was one of the more intense storms. Sparks of light shot across the sky as an aperture formed at the heart of the electrical storm. The ground beneath their feet began to shake as a wave of tremors rocked the jungle. They struggled to retain their balance as a blasting wind swept through the jungle in intermittent bursts, strong enough to snap the branches off trees and sending waves of perched birds fluttering into the sky in alarm.
Eladria became aware of shadows all around them; silhouetted figures only visible out of the corner of her eye. It was as though two realities were being superimposed, the walls between them loosening and crumbling.
Something then began to emerge from the apex of the storm—the same bat-like creatures she’d seen before. The shadow creatures soon filled the sky, circling like birds of prey and dive-bombing the jungle, leaving trails of fire in their wake.
“We must find shelter!” Van’garat called above the noise.
Eladria nodded. One of the creatures was directly above them and it swooped toward them. As it descended through the jungle canopy, it ignited the trees in blazing red flames.
With Van’garat in the lead, they made a hasty retreat, successfully evading the bat-creature as they raced through the jungle, struggling to get through the thick undergrowth. The light from above enabled them to see their way for the most part, as it bathed the jungle in an eerie blue glow.
They continued to run, often stumbling over branches, vines and undergrowth, or knocked down by the rumbling tremors. Each time they scrambled to their feet and began running again. Van’garat was decisive as he led them onward, as though he knew where he was taking them.
After a time they came to a lagoon at the base of a steep cliff. At the bottom of the cliff was a network of caves. Eladria didn’t know whether Van’garat had known about this place or if it was simply a stroke of luck, but they now had somewhere to shelter and wait out the storm. But just as Eladria was about to race toward the nearest cave, Van’garat put out his arm and restrained her.
“What’s wrong?” she cried. “We’ll be safe in there!”
“I’m not so certain,” Van’garat responded. “I sense danger.”
“It can’t be any more dangerous than remaining out here,” Eladria answered. She shook free of his grasp and began running toward the nearest cave. The others followed.
As they ran, they were pursued by several of the shadow creatures, diving down through the trees. Fortunately, as they made it into the cave, the bat-creatures broke off pursuit and soared back up to the sky. Eladria let out a sigh of relief. They were safe, for the moment at least.
She looked around the craggy cave, which cut deep into the cliff-side, dimly illuminated by a pale light filtering in through the mouth-like entrance. The walls and ceiling were dripping with water, stagnant pools of which collected on the ground, and there was clearly a nest of bats nearby, as evidenced by the occasional flapping and squeaking in the darkness.
Taking some time to catch their breath, they agreed to remain here until the storm passed. Everyone was exhausted and few words were exchanged as the travelers tried in vain to get comfortable. Eladria sat down on as dry a bit of ground as she could find, resting her back against the cavern wall. As the adrenaline pumping through her body began to subside, she surrendered to her exhaustion and after a time drifted into the sweet embrace of sleep.
Her dreams that night were intense, vivid and fragmented.
She saw images of distant islands, forests, deserts, cities and towns, all of them unfamiliar and alien-looking.
A face kept appearing before her: that same young man, little older than she was, his handsome face framed by locks of dark hair and his penetrating brown eyes gazing at her as if from across an infinite void—so far apart, and yet so intimately connected.
Although she had never met him before, she had seen his face so many times, perhaps in her dreams, or perhaps as part of a long-forgotten memory, a distant recollection obscured by the haze of time and space. She was drawn to him, compelled by a magnetism she found impossible to resist.
Yet when she tried to reach out to him, his face vanished like a reflection on water dissipated by a ripple.
She found herself alone again in a distant and inhospitable land, wondering why she’d been forsaken in this most alien of places. She searched for the enigmatic stranger who so allured her. Who was he, and where had he gone? Why did she feel that their fates were connected, even though they were separated by vast distances of space and time...?
“Princess, wake up! Wake up!” a voice startled her.
She opened her eyes to find Janak nudging her awake, a panicked expression upon his face.
“What is it?” she asked sleepily.
“We have company,” came Van’garat’s curt response.
It was now morning. She looked round and saw daylight streaming through the mouth of the cave. It was there, at the cave entrance, that she saw a figure standing silhouetted in the light, brandishing a large stick or staff of some kind.
Alarmed, Eladria reached down and grabbed her dagger. She got up and stood alongside Van’garat and Janak, while wondering where Zinn was. The figure at the entrance of the cave remained still, watching them intently.
“Who are you?” Eladria called.
The figure moved closer, stepping into the cavern. Van’garat remained calm and motionless, while Janak visibly tensed, shifting nervously on the spot. As the stranger approached, Eladria saw that it was a middle-aged man, wearing the hooded grey cowl and apparel of a True Way Patriarch, the band of chains around his chest and waist clanking as he moved. She immediately felt a lurching sensation in her stomach.
“Who I am is of no consequence,” the Patriarch responded as he came to a stop before them. In common with most other Patriarchs Eladria had seen, his blue-tinged face was pale and expressionless and his eyes empty and deadened. “I am but an instrument, a servant of the mighty Antas, the True God of Tahnadra. I live only that I may glorify his name and carry out his divine will.”
“What are you doing here?” Eladria asked.
“Just as you were led here, so too was I,” the Patriarch replied.
“What-what you want with us?” Janak asked weakly.
“You will come with me back to the sacred town of Arnaast,” the man answered.
“We’re not going anywhere with you,” Eladria said forcefully.
“But you are, Princess Eladria,” the Patriarch responded darkly. He smiled at Eladria’s visible alarm at knowing she had been recognized. “Yes, I know who you are. The mighty Antas said you would be here, on the run from the Ha’shon and desperately trying to stop the resurrection from happening. But you will never stop what is destined to be. Indeed, you will be an important part of it.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Eladria growled.
“No matter. You will soon learn of what I speak.” The Patriarch closed his eyes, raised his staff and began to chant strange words that Eladria had never before heard.
“Beware, he’s casting an incantation,” Van’garat warned.
Eladria stepped forward and raised her dagger. “Stop!” she shouted.
The Patriarch continued, ignoring her. The words poured from his mouth like an obscure song from an ancient, long-forgotten world.
Eladria was prepared to stop him with physical force, but before she could act the Patriarch snapped open his eyes and raised his staff. From the tip of the staff, a burst of energy shot outward, encircling her, Janak and Van’garat in a ring of black fire. The crackling black flames closed in on them like a lasso, coiling around their bodies in a snake-like manner. The black fire was cold to the touch yet tingled with electrical charge.
Eladria and her comrades struggled to break free but, like the arachoid web, it had them completely incapacitated.
She looked helplessly at Van’garat and Janak who were pinned next to her. The three of them were like helpless animals caught in a hunter’s trap. They couldn’t fight and there was no way to escape.
[Continued in the novel "Eladria" by Rory B Mackay]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rory was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1979. Since then he has lived most of his life in the north-east of Scotland, a place he finds scenic and inspiring, if a tad cold. With a lifelong passion for creative writing and art, Rory knew from a young age that he had stories he wanted to tell and adventures to share. As he grew up and became interested in philosophy and metaphysics, he came to realize the potential of literature and art as a means of sharing ideas, posing questions and exploring the nature of reality in a way that is accessible yet compelling and challenging.
Rory conceived his series of fantasy novels, The Alanar Ascendant, when he was still in high school, developing a vast and expansive mythology that offers the potential for dozens of stories. Little direct progress was made on the books themselves during this period, as he focused on his education: studying fine art, before graduating with a degree in social science. A long period of ill health brought him back to his true passion as a creative storyteller, leading him to explore the potential of fiction and art to elevate mood and consciousness. Rory has now completed the first two novels of The Alanar Ascendant series. Action-packed, emotionally charged and cinematic in scope, the books are essentially stories about life: explorations of life, death, reality, purpose and identity.
A natural born philosopher and a student of Vedanta, Zen and Taoism, Rory is an animal and nature lover, music junkie (known to create his own music too -- including a soundtrack to his novel), social and environmental activist, cake enthusiast and generally a rather chilled out guy. He sells his art online and writes blogs on creativity, philosophy, spirituality and whatever else inspires him. He has written his own commentary on the classic Chinese text, the Tao Te Ching and is planning a non-fiction book entitled ‘Beyond the Dream’ as well as a new series of fantasy books called 'The Dreamlight Fugitives'. His debut novel 'Eladria' was published in May 2013 by Cosmic Egg Books. He has also released two free short stories ('Artan’s Night' and 'The Royal Runaway') as preludes. For more information and updates, please visit his website at http://www.dreamlight-fugitive.co.uk or his regularly updated blog at http://beyondthedream.co.uk.